# Why do Politicians have funny names?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-politicians-have-funny-names/193339>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 6, 2003, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-politicians-have-funny-names/193339 "2003-08-06T15:21:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-politicians-have-funny-names/193339/21 "2003-08-07T02:40:23Z")

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Another favorite name:

American Joe Miedusiewski, who served for 20 years in the Maryland legislature from East Baltimore, and finished second in the 1994 Democratic primary for Governor.

(Yes, he legally changed his name to that.)

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**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-politicians-have-funny-names/193339/22 "2003-08-07T03:32:33Z")

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How about the second premier of the province of British Columbia? He was **Amour de Cosmos** (French for “Love of the Universe” - he was born William Alexander Smith and legally changed his name). B.C. politics has gone downhill ever since.

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**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-politicians-have-funny-names/193339/23 "2003-08-07T04:22:15Z")

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I know several Eugenes, two Rodneys, but no Chesters. However I also know an Ullrikka, three Lafes, a Megazone and a ‘9’.

I still don’t see any evidence that politicians have any more unusual names than the general population. I think your threshold for unusual is rather low.

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**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-politicians-have-funny-names/193339/24 "2003-08-07T06:48:22Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Paul in Saudi \*  
> (On the subject of funny names we cannot allow Wolf Blitzer to go uncommented upon.)

Nor **Salmon Portland Chase** and **Meriwether Lewis**. OK, Chase was a politician, but not Lewis.

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